Opposition Leader Wins Election in Congo; Rival Candidate Calls it a 'Coup'

Felix Tshisekedi has been announced as the winner of the controversial presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but his rival candidate condemned the victory as a 'coup.' The Congolese Electoral Commission announced Mr. Tshisekedi's provisional victory early on Thursday, January 9. The voting took place on December 30. This election will have significant implications for the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of Africa's most unstable countries, where power has never been transferred peacefully since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960. Mr. Tshisekedi's victory was celebrated at the headquarters of the 'Union for Democracy and Social Progress,' the oldest and largest opposition party in the Democratic Republic of Congo, founded by Etienne Tshisekedi, Felix's late father. The 55-year-old Felix Tshisekedi immediately stated after the announcement that he would cooperate with the current president of the country. In a speech to his supporters, he added: 'Today, we should not see him as an enemy but as a partner in the path of creating democratic changes in the country.' However, the election results were immediately condemned by Martin Fayulu, Mr. Tshisekedi's rival, who received the second-highest votes, as an 'electoral coup.' The French Foreign Minister also stated that the election results do not match the votes, suggesting that Martin Fayulu appears to have won. Referring to parallel vote counting conducted by the powerful Catholic Church in Congo, he said it seems Mr. Fayulu has emerged victorious. Agence France-Presse adds that this is the first election in the Democratic Republic of Congo since Joseph Kabila took power in 2011 and ruled the country with an iron fist, and the United Nations has warned about the potential for violence. Mr. Kabila was supposed to step down two years ago, but his continued rule has led to heightened political tensions and widespread protests, during which dozens were killed. The voting finally took place on December 30, where Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, Kabila's handpicked candidate, competed against Felix Tshisekedi and Martin Fayulu. Martin Fayulu, also a leader of the opposition, is a very good speaker who was relatively unknown until recently but managed to reach the forefront of the presidential race. The Electoral Commission announced that Mr. Tshisekedi won with 38.57% of the votes, while Mr. Fayulu came in second with 34.8%. Mr. Shadary, the government-backed candidate, ranked third with 23.8%. The victory of opposition politicians in an election that was expected to yield engineered results in favor of the government is quite surprising. The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo was under significant pressure from the international community to respect the votes and opinions of voters during the election process and the lengthy counting of votes. Nevertheless, Martin Fayulu condemned the election results, describing it as an electoral coup.